• "Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." - Ephesians 4:13 NIV

• “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” - Colossians 1:28-29  ESV

• And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified." - Romans 8:28-30

• "My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you." - Galatians 4:19

• "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:18

• "But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." - Colossians 3:8-10

• "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure." - 1 John 3:2-3

• "Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church." - Ephesians 4:15 NLT

• "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.  I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." - Philippians 3:7-14

• "...disciples... [who] obey everything I have commanded you." - Matthew 28:19-20

• "But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." - James 1:22-25 NLT

Scripture tells us that the goal of discipleship is Christlikeness—becoming like Jesus. We are not so much trying to be "DOers" of what Jesus said (it is NOT about behavior modification or performance) but "BE-ers," ones who abide in Christ and let the fullness of His Word and being saturate all of who we are.  We are growing in character when what we say we believe and value is what we do and how we act instinctively in our everyday relationships and situations—in all of life's circumstances. We will continue to grow in character but this "inside and outside," "public and private" consistency in how we live is what we seek. Jesus always acted like Himself in all circumstances. This is what we seek to become by spending time with Him, in His Word, with His people, and by doing life with the heart of Jesus in this broken world. 

• “Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did." - 1 John 2:6 ESV

• "Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church." - Ephesians 4:15 NLT

• "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." - Philippians 3:7-14 NIV

• "My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you..." - Galatians 4:19 NIV

• "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:18  NIV

Mature Love = "Full obedience, full agreement, and full participation with all that Holy Spirit is doing on earth under Jesus' leadership." - David Sliker. This definition of mature love is not just about doing loving things to God and others; it is about doing loving things in God's way, with His mind and heart, and in His timing  (For self-reflection, see the words God shared about the true and false disciples in Matthew 7:21-23).

"The central message of Christianity: We've been called into relationship with God so [that, among other things] we may relate more deeply with others... The Christian's call is to relationship, to loving, non-defensive involvement with others." - Dr. Larry Crabb

“The goal of our sanctification is that we place Christ on display in the way we love others.” - Larry Crabb

“Love is not our duty; it is our destiny!” - N.T. Wright

• “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." - Deuteronomy 6:4-7 ESV

• "’And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" - Mark 12:30-31 NLT

• "Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'"  -John 14:23 ESV

• “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV

• “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love… Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” - 1 John 4:7-8, 11-12 ESV

• “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” - ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• “Let him know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” - James‬ ‭5:20‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬ 

• "...Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."  - Mark 16:15 NIV

• "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:8 NLT

• "As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give." - Matthew 10:7-8 NIV

We are to be disciples who make disciples (who can make other disciples). It's not just about our own personal transformation and devotion but also about becoming ones who can pass on everything we got as disciples. We are to teach, train, support, and empower other new believers to do the same with others. 

• "Therefore go and make disciples..., baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." - Matthew 28:19-20 NIV

• "...of all nations*..."  -Matthew 28:19; "...to all creation..."  - Mark 16:15;  "...and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  -Acts 1:8

• "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law... that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law... that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak that I by all means I might save some. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 2I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." - Corinthians 9:19-23 ESV